under secretary
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of under secretary
First recorded in 1680–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sir Olly Robbins, who gave evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of MPs on Tuesday, was fired as the permanent under secretary at the Foreign Office last week.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Emil Michael, under secretary for research and engineering, has led the Defense Department’s negotiations with Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
On Friday, Sarah Rogers, the State Department under secretary for public diplomacy, said Deranque's killing showed "why we treat political violence -- terrorism -- so harshly".
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
"You don't want your next deputy under secretary of the Treasury to go work for a lobbyist for four years,' Fagan said. "You want them to be doing policy planning.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024
When Lord Aberdeen became Minister for Foreign Affairs he selected George Smythe as under secretary; in which capacity he acquitted himself with great ability.
From Reminiscences of Captain Gronow by R. H. (Rees Howell) Gronow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
